Hat-forming die



March 6, 1934. KlwAD 1,950,054

HAT FORMING DIE Original Filed May 22, 1926 8 x y .58 40 /40 45 f 59 f 45 46 2%--56 Q 47 .5 42 42 J0 a L I/L 50 9 ,f5 55 i .si 45%43 5f 4.9 47 I :fg- V-T- 15j/U `I h1 l www mm \w\\\ 52 55 75 /35 .255

Fng

46' 45a 45 [Il j l Juve/who@ idd/(27? fLz/ Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAT-FORMING DIE Original application May 22, 1926, Serial No.

9 Claims.

This invention is a division oi my co-pending application, Serial No. 111,017 filed May 22nd, 1926.

This invention relates to hat-making or forming dies and more particularly to a novel and improved method of shaping the material to produce what may be termed a flat crowned hat, of the type known in the trade under various names, such as berets, tams, turbans and the like.

The primary object of the invention resides in the construction of hat shaping and forming dies designed to heat, press and mold the hat material during the forming and shaping process, enabling the hats to be turned out with rapidity and skill and with a minimum amount of hand labor.

My improved construction, and the process carried out in using the same is particularly adapted for forming the hats out of iiat stock material such as felt, velour, plush or any suitable kind of fabric, the forming members and dies being so arranged that they can be readily dissembled for cleaning, replacement or for any other purpose.

With these objects land such other objects as may hereinafter appear, in View, I have devised the particular arrangement of parts set forth below and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of my improved dies and attendant parts;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of a iiat type of hat, such as a turban, beret, tam or the like turned out by my dies; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Throughout the various views of the drawing, similar reference characters designate similar parts.

In the embodiment of my invention disclosed in the accompanying drawing, 16 indicates a substantially at supporting surface which constitutes a lower die and which preferably forms the top plate of a steam chamber, a part of which is shown at 17 and which may be of the conventional form used in the hat industry. The plate 16, which is in the nature of a stationary female lower die is provided with a hollow or concave portion formed by a central depression provided in the plate 16. This depression 30 is so shaped to conform to the slightly curved crown portion of the hat shown in Figure 2.

Said lower die 16 is provided with a plurality Divided and this application December 9, 1929, Serial No.

of perforations 31 through which steam emanating from the steam chamber 17 may pass through to supply heat and mo-isture to the hat material 33 To shape the hat, I employ a two-part shaping 6051 former or core, one part of which is shown at 32 and which rests on the material 33 from which the hat is constructed, said part 32 resting in the depression 30 of the top plate 16 and being preferably provided on its lower face with a rubber 65* or resilient pad 34 which prevents injury to the material 33 of the hat.

In getting the hat material 33 ready for pressing, stretching and molding to shape, the first step is in the placing of the material 33 over the 70 top plate 16 of the steam pot or chamber. I then place over the material the second part of the forming member consisting of an annular or ring-shaped plate-like forming member 35 which may be made of rubber or oi any other 753' suitable material of sufficient stiffness to properly shape the material and give the necessary effect to the material to produce a type of flat hat of the character disclosed in Figure 2, when the material has been stretched and pressed thereover. This ring-shaped plate-like forming member 35 has an inner opening 35a. whose diameter is slightly less than the diameter of the depression 30 in the top plate, so that the same will securely hold the goods and form a continuous surface in combination with the depression 30 whereby the necessary shallow or flat crown eiiect may be given to the material. This ringshaped plate-like forming member 35 isvsplit radially as at 36 outwardly from its central opening 90 central opening 3501I of the ring 35 and holds the 100 material down on the depression 30 of the top plate 16, The hat material 33 is then manually pulled and stretched inwardly toward the center of the member 32 and is passed over the top of the same and held thereon by any suitable means such as the upwardly projecting pins 37 provided on the top of the member 32. The extended portion 38 of the hat material may be folded inwardly and downwardly in a suitable bore or hollow 39 formed in said block 32. When the ma- 110 terial 33 has thus been manually pulled and stretched inwardly and held at its center, it will assume, the contour shown by the dotted lines 40 shown in Figure 1 and having been thoroughly heated, steamed and wetted by resting on the lower die 16, and being made of felt, velour or other stretchable moldable and shrinkable material, it can be readily blocked to shape by a shaping and pressing ring or die 42 which is carried on rods 8 that are held by the movable crosshead of the usual type of hat-blocking machine. This movable shaping and pressing ring or die 42 is secured to the rods 8 through the medium of a ring 41, to which the said shaping and pressing die 42 is secured by bolts 43. This shaping and pressing ring or die 42 is provided with two depending spaced ilanges 43a, and 44, the latter of which is so positicnedthat when lowered in the usual manner, it will ride down over the block 32 and be positioned between said block 32 and the forming member 35. The outer flange 43a which acts as a pressing die applies heat and pressure to the face of the material stretched over the upper face of the plate-like forming member 35 as clearly disclosed in Figure 1.

The flange 43al is of such size that it extends quite closely to the edge or periphery of the hat and for this reason operates to apply pressure and heat over almost the entire under-face 45a of the hat.

The shape of the annular upper die 42 is such that it forms the hat fabric 33 into the position disclosed in Figure 1 whereby the finished hat is molded and pressed into the shape disclosed in Figure 2. The hat here shown indicates the shape produced after a part of the hat fabric which extended up on the block 32 was cut away. The hat is thus provided with an inturned part 46a surrounding the head, and any portion of this inturned part may be cut olf or trimmed and the remaining part of said inturned portion 46a may form a head band or else be stitched to the body of the hat to form a hem for enclosing an elastic should one be required in the type of hat desired.

From the foregoing description of my invention, it will be seen that the lower supporting female die 16 is'heated. I have found it desirable, also to more efficiently block the hat, to heat the upper die 42 and to this end, I have provided a suitable annular gas pipe 46 having openings in the lower side thereof, through which the flame may impinge upon the outer edge of the upper die 42 to effectively heat the same so that the hat material be effectively shaped and pressed.

In order to maintain the forming member 35 in position on the lower supporting die 16, I provide at spaced points around the periphery of said forming ring and attached to the said lower die 16, a plurality of clamps 47. These clamps are provided with a clamping jaw 48, the nose of which engages the outer periphery of the forming member 35 over the material of the hat and maintains said member in position. rI'he jaw 48 is locked in position through the medium of the hande 49 which is pivoted to a suitable standard as at 50 and has a depending wedge member 51 integrally formed therewith, the jaw 48 being pivoted as at 52 and normally held in raised position through the medium of a spring 53. It is evident that when the handle 49 is in the position shown in Figure 1, the depending portion 51 thereof will lock the jaw 48 of the clamp in position over the edge of the forming member 35 and securely hold the same in contact with the lower` supporting die 16. The clamp is adjustably secured in a suitable slot in the plate 16 through the medium of a lock screw 54 so that the clamps can be moved over toward, or away from the forming member 35, as desired.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that any flat type of hat such as tams, berets, turbans or the like and many other shapes may be readily made by the structure and process described. The hat goods, being drawn inwardly over the forming means, composed of the parts 32 and 35 may be pulled and stretched inwardly by hand to any suitable extent to nt them snugly over these forming members and they may be held snugly and smoothly therecver by the pins 37 or any other suitable holding means. The inner portion of the hat iabric is always available during the pressing and shaping operation for manual pulling or stretching of the hat material through the central opening in the upper die 42 when the various dies are together as shown in Figure 1, so that any small wrinkles in the hat may be smoothed out during the pressing, molding and heating operation described.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim ist- 1. The method of producing tam-o-shanters or the like from a sheet of material comprising the steps of folding the outer portions of the material inwardly toward its center and holding the marginal edge of the folded material against contraction, pulling the free inner edge of the material inwardly from the marginal edge, and subjecting the folded material to the action of pressure in the presence of heat and moisture.

2. A machine for making tam-oshanters or the like comprising a lower die having a supporting base, a heated upper die for movement toward said base, said upper die having an opening extending through it and spaced from its outer marginal edge,a separate shaping element adapted to rest upon the supporting base of the lower die, and adapted to have the material of the article folded over the same and serving to hold the marginal edge of the material against contraction, the opening in the upper die affording access to the free inner end of the material whereby it may be pulled inwardly from the marginal edge, and means to afford a relative closing movement between the dies.

3. A machine for making tam-oshanters or the like, comprising a lower female die having a recess to receive the article to be formed, a heated upper die having an opening formed through it which is spaced from its marginal edge, a separate shaping element for reception on they female die and adapted to have the material of the article folded over the same to dene the marginal edge of the article, the opening in the upper die affording access to the free inner end of such material for pulling action, and means to effect a relative closing movement between the dies.

4. In a machine for making tam-o-shanters or the like, a lower die, an upper die for coaction therewith having an opening formed therethrough and spaced from its marginal edge, a shaping element to be removably mounted between said dies and adapted to have the material of the article folded about the same, said shaping element having a diameter approximating that of the upper die whereby the outer edge of the shaping element is disposed adjacent to the outer edge of the upper die, the opening in the upper die aording access to the free inner edge of the material for pulling action, means to heat one die, and means to effect a relative closing movement between the dies.

5. A device for shaping hats of the iiat character comprising a lower die member adapted to support a forming member on its upper face, a forming member over which hat material is so drawn that the inner edge of said material is disposed toward the central par-t of said forming member, and an annular heated pressing die adapted to press upon that part of the material drawn over the forming member which forms the under portion of the finished hat, the inner edge of the hat material at the central part of the forming member being exposed on the forming member during the pressing operation.

6. A means for shaping iiat crown beret hats, said means having a lower supporting die, a fabric covered forming member adapted to rest thereon, means for engaging the fabric adjacent its inner edge and retaining the same at the central portion of the former, an upper pressing die having an under surface adapted to press and shape a portion of the fabric that is uppermost on the forming member, and a surface on the upper face of Ithe forming member for receiving the pressure of said upper pressing die.

7. A means for shaping hats comprising a supporting die, a fabric-covered forming member adapted to rest thereon, clamping means oprative on said forming member, means at the center of said forming member for engaging the fabric and holding the same about the forming member, an upper heated movable pressing die having an under surface adapted to press and shape that portion of the fabric which is uppermost on the forming member, an upper surface on the forming member for receiving the pressure of said upper pressing die, and means for producing a hem guide-fold simultaneously with the shaping and pressing operation.

8. A means for shaping hats comprising a twopart former having a central part and an annular outer part spaced therefrom, a support for said former, and an upper pressing die having a part adapted to press a portion of the hat fabric cn the spaced annular outer .part of the former and also having a, part adapted to fold a portion of the hat fabric down between the two parts of the former.

9. A machine for blocking tams comprising, a cup-shaped lower die member, a flexible shaping member provided with a radial cut, received on said lower die member, and an upper die member coi-operating with the lower die member to shape a hat blank drawn about the shaping member.

ISADORE KIWAD. 

